Wake Up Call
by M.L. Groves
Summary: Otherwise known as the not-so-perfect night. For once- Lucy was grateful he had broken into her room. Not for the squeamish.


**Special Note:** This one-shot once belonged to a collection of one-shots known as, "The Perfect Stranger." I have now separated them!

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**Wake Up Call**

_Otherwise known as the not-so-perfect night._

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The contents herein are by no means owned by this poor, starving writer and belong to those who have created the greatness that is _Fairy Tail._

_**Warning: This one-shot contains content that could make a squeamish person sick to their stomach. Read with caution.**_

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Something was wrong. Lucy could feel it settling in the pit of her stomach: an anxiety that made her pulse quicken. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something was definitely wrong. Glancing around the foggy street, she allowed a shiver to trail up her spine. Why was she here? The lamp posts were dim and hazy from the fog. They barely lit up the streets leading to the docks. She could hardly tell where she was going despite the confident steps she took.

_Shouldn't she be home?_The thought rang out like a chiming bell and Lucy considered turning back.

"You okay, Luce?"

Then there was calm- a sudden calm that left her shoulders sagging and air escaping her lungs in a relieved sigh. Lucy didn't have to run, she wasn't alone after all. With a smile and a glance to her right, her eyes met Natsu's and everything felt okay again.

"I'm fine." She said brightly, ignoring the negative sensations that still pricked against her senses. If he was here, then she was fine. The thought reaffirmed itself as she entwined their fingers together. "I was just wondering if maybe we should wait until the sun is up to do this." There, she let it out now- the true thought that was nagging at her.

_What are we doing?_

His jaw dropped at her statement before he shook his head. "No way. We've handled way worse than this. We're not backing out now!"

"Yeah, but- Natsu this mission is different than the-"

He interrupted with more confidence than she had felt all evening."We'll be fine. We're too good of a team!"

That was that. They fell into companionable silence and Lucy found herself tongue tied. How could she argue when he made her feel so safe? They continued their stroll, heading onto the docks where many containers had been left during the day. She knew that when they reached their destination – a warehouse on the other side- they would be hard pressed to talk again, so she struggled to find more words to say.

Why wasn't he talking? His silence was most unsettling of all, especially with his eyes stone set on what was in front of him.

_Where is Happy?_

Her thought echoed and too late, she realized she had asked it out loud. Her partner almost tripped at her sudden question and he tilted his head to look at her with an eyebrow raised. Natsu's look spoke volumes. She had said something weird again, hadn't she?

"Uh... back home...?" The hand holding hers suddenly left her, leaving her feeling cold before he placed the palm over her forehead. "You feeling okay? Why would Happy be here? We're kind of looking up rumors about a serial killer..."

Her stomach jolted again. _We're doing what?Why in all Earthland would we..._ "Isn't he usually upset when we leave him out of missions?"_We never have before..._

"Geez, Luce, are ya' sick or something? He's our cat. Cats stay home and sleep all day, they don't solve cases!"

Lucy stopped walking. Something really was wrong. How could Natsu say something like that about Happy? They shouldn't be there. It was a bad night to go.

"We should have at least brought Erza and Gray along!" She said stubbornly, and he groaned.

"Not that again, we discussed this already!" Shaking her shoulders, Natsu grinned again, "There's nothing we can't do together, right? Stop being weird, Lucy."

_He's the one being weird! Get out of there!_

She did not get out of there. They continued their trek and Lucy could not even bring herself to continue their conversation. With their hands held together, Natsu led her to the warehouse. If she thought he was being weird then, she thought it doubly when they reached the entrance and simply brought her up the stairs. He didn't even try to knock: grabbing the door handle and pushing it open instead. She shook her head at this. Natsu? Knocking? He'd blow the walls up before he even...

That's what was off- why was he walking through the door and shouldn't they have been at least scoping the area? They were researching rumors towards a serial killer after all! She paused in the doorway, throat thick with all the things she still wanted to say, but couldn't.

Natsu's voice was low when he spoke, "Okay, Lucy- I have a feeling our lead may have been right, be on your guard." Gulping, she nodded her head, not very calm knowing that her hotheaded partner was being the voice of reason in a situation like this. _Not to mention he said we were looking up a rumor that has now become a lead..._Decision made, she tried to voice her concerns again...

"I'll look on the left if you look on the right?" _What?! That's not what I wanted to say!_

His answering grin was it's usual, wide, toothy one full of trust that left Lucy's insides turning into mush. "Gotcha, call me if something happens."

"Yeah, okay."

She was relieved when nothing did. Searching the area, with moonlight coming through dusty windows, was not easy and she had to fight the urge to sneeze countless times. Boxes were everywhere: towering above her, darkening many corners and blocking her sight. It was impossible to see anything without opening the containers, but most were sealed shut and she doubted she would find anything pertaining towards a killer in those..._and if there was anything... I really don't want to know!_Just what were they looking for exactly anyway?

She knew it the moment the exit sign blared its neon colors brightly from the one lit corner in the room. It blared over a single door, more rusted than the rest of the room, but held ajar. Just enough for faint light from the next room to ebb out. Lucy felt a chill run up her spine.

Her feet took her there before she could think to turn back and just as quickly, Natsu was by her side again. His hand gripped her shoulder and his eyes were cold."...this is the last place," he whispered. Lucy nodded her head and brought her fingers up to meet his. He didn't shy away from her touch as they stood there,with warmth spreading through the fabric of her jacket.

"We can still turn back..." She said hopefully. His fingers squeezed hers in response.

"You know it's too late for that."

_Yeah... I know..._ Why was she being so compliant about this? To calm her nerves, she reached for the set of keys at her waist, hoping that they'd be ready to help her if the time came to it. In that moment, her world froze.

Lucy didn't have her keys.

He was pulling the door open when she came to grips again and her shrill voice echoed through the warehouse. "Natsu! Don't go in there! I don't have my keys! I'm completely defenseless!"

"Luce.. stop being weird again, since when have keys ever been weapons? Don't you have your gun?"

_Gun? We're using... guns? No that's not... this isn't right! Don't go through that door! NATSU!_

The door swung open and Lucy stepped through alongside him. Despite the glowing light, darkness enveloped her senses, taking away all feeling. Natsu seemed to disappear for a time and Lucy panicked, heart throbbing in her throat. _This is wrong. This is wrong. This is wrong! This is really wrong!_

When her senses returned, it was like a punch aimed straight for her gut. Her sense of smell came first and the sheer stench of the room they entered knocked her to her knees. It burnt her nose, inside and out and in seconds she was hunched over, emptying the contents of her stomach to the concrete. Beside her, Natsu dropped as well, his hands in fists even as one gripped her shoulder tightly, as if to ensure she was still near.

Through blurry eyes she blinked, tried to look away from the mess she had made, but heaved again as another gag consumed her body. Lucy's muscles were weakened from convulsions and the smell was atrocious. With watery eyes she tried to place it. _It's almost as if... as if..._

Finally seeing,she gasped when her hand dragged through a smeared puddle, staining her fingers red.

_As if someone had died._

She tried to call out then, to grab Natsu and return through the door, but her arms and legs did not obey her, too much like lead, too weak from vomit, too overpowered by smell. Forcing herself up, she staggered back, but her eyes stayed upon the room that Lucy now realized was stained much like the floor.

There was blood: everywhere. _Mavis, where is it coming from?!_

To the far side of the room, a furnace bellowed as heat and smoke rose in waves and a conveyor belt moved full sacks towards its awaiting mouth. She saw this, but barely registered it as her eyes scanned the rest of the room. Piles of dismantled arms and legs were found everywhere. Water dripped from the ceiling and she looked above for its source only to find bodies dangling. Not water-more blood. Naked and eviscerated they dropped their organs and fluids in a morbid pattern that matched the screams echoing inside of her head.

Lucy looked away, but found more along the walls- one twitching, clinging to life even as their bowels had been removed. It was everywhere. She could hear it, she could taste it- _oh god, it's even on my tongue!_

The screams were no longer in her head, but they were not ripped from her throat either. The conveyor belt was still moving, its contents finally meeting the gaping mouth of the raging inferno housed inside of the furnace. Like a wild animal, it thrashed and screamed and tears stung her eyes. There was someone in that bag. Someone alive. There was someone alive!

"St-stop them!" She found her voice suddenly and stumbled forward only for Natsu's strong hands to grab and pull her back.

"Don't, Lucy! Stay back!" He pulled and her legs crumpled once more and sobs tore from her throat. Against him, she felt herself grow slack. "I know,Lucy. I know. We... we have to... we can't sta-"

He never finished his sentence and she never found the strength to ask him to continue. Doors she had not seen flung open and two figures strode out. Amidst the gore and screams and smell, the taller of the two advanced, barreled into them and tore her from Natsu's grasp. Dizzily she fell into the mess on the floor and only snapped her eyes to attention when she heard cracking of nails on the ground and Natsu's erratic cry.

"Let me go you- Lu..Lucy! **RUN**!"

The tall man-_ or was he a beast? What is that?!_- slung her partner to the wall, a nasty crack echoing before his entire body went limp. As if it were her own heart, she felt the pain and cried out just as loudly, tasting metal as her throat screamed itself raw.

Lucy scrambled, urging herself to move. "Give him back! Please.. Natsu!"

Almost to her feet again, spidery fingers gripped her hair and pulled her back. Spinning her around, Lucy's eyes met the gaze of a thin face. Slick and wet as if giving off it's own pungent slime and eyes empty of anything other than malice. With serrated teeth, the smaller figure, a woman as thin and pointed as bone, yanked her to her feet and began pulling her away. With screams still echoing, she struggled, she tried to rip herself free, tried to fight the woman off, but her legs just could not work. Overwhelmed, her power over her own body failed and her screams continued to echo through the night.

_Natsu!_

Lucy woke to moonlight shining through her window and stars blinking peacefully. Her blankets had been kicked off some time through the night and her sheets were damp with sweat. Panting, gasping for air and holding her throat, she stared wildly around the room. Confused at the clean, familiar environment, she stared as if seeing it for the first time and choked on a sob.

Like a wave, her stomach lurched and a familiar scent caught her: blood. With a fearful cry, she sprung from the bed, never minding the object she tripped over on her floor and quickly dashed to her bathroom. Without a care towards even the safety of her hair, she draped herself over her toilet and vomited her dinner. With quivering arms and aching legs, she cried as she held herself and the memories of her nightmare crashed upon her as if they were still happening.

It took Lucy many moments of sobbing and dry heaving to notice that her hair did not cling to her face or even her back, and that it was being held while a warm, hand rubbed circles around her back. With a shuddering breath, she tensed, wondering if she was going crazy.

"Oi... Luce.. it's not nice to kick people out of bed and then stomp on them on your way to the bathroom, weirdo."

She stopped breathing.

"...but since your sick, I don't mind, really."

With quivering shoulders, Lucy looked behind her and wearily met the onyx eyes of Natsu as he worriedly knelt behind her, holding her hair back. His hair was ruffled more than usual, and his face showed signs of sleep. With a yawn that revealed his canines and Happy staring at her from his shoulders, she finally felt relief wash into her like a flood and her tears increased in tempo.

"Oh no! She's crying again, Natsu!"

"Woah, Lucy, get a hold of yourself. Throwing up sucks and all, but this is a crazy way to react-"

Lucy sprung upon him before he could finish, wrapping her arms around his waist and tackling him to the floor before he could register she had even turned around. Crying, her shoulders shook in mild, relieved laughter and she clung to the Dragonslayer with all her might. It had been a nightmare! Just a dream! Natsu and Happy were here, and she was back home, sleeping off a day of hard work from their recent mission! Everything was okay! Even the stench had finally left her.

Confused and obviously unaccustomed to such treatment, Natsu held one hand around her and watched his blonde partner cry and laugh atop him as if her mind had just snapped. If he hadn't of woken to her screaming his name before she had so earnestly knocked him from her bed and to the floor, he may have thought she really had lost it. The sheer relief and terror in her eyes was enough to keep him from mentioning it even as he awkwardly tried to console her.

"Hey...uh..come on, Lucy, lets get you back to bed."

Her clothes and hair were damp from sweat. Her eyes were blood shot and red-rimmed and now, Lucy was certain her breath stunk of vomit, but with a weak whimper, she nodded her head and the dragonslayer quickly rose from her floor and cradled her against his chest despite that. With careful steps and whispers from Happy, he carried her back to the comfort of her mattress and pulled her blankets off the floor. With wide eyes, she watched his every move, ensuring that he really was there, and finally found the ability to relax when he laid next to her, arms behind his head as he listened to her breath.

"Don't worry, Luce. I'm here for ya."

For once- she was grateful he had broken into her room.

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**A/n:**** I've written fluff, humor, pervy humor and all that. I thought I'd cover a little horror too. I've never really written horror before, but I wanted to give it a nightmare like feel by making Natsu himself, but not himself at the same time and I wanted to make the events move a little fast to fit that feeling as well. This nightmare is actually based off of one I've had myself, unfortunately.**

**Hope you enjoyed- don't have any nightmares tonight!**

**-M.L. Groves**


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